Private Lessons Program Policies

I. LESSONS AND BASIC GUIDELINES

Credit students contract to take 12 lessons. Non-credit students may contract to take fewer lessons.

Lessons meet for one hour on a weekly basis at a regularly scheduled time.

Students contract to practice for at least one hour a day during the semester of study. Teachers may make additional requirements of their students, which will be clearly explained by the first lesson.

All students accepted into the Private Lesson Program are billed the additional cost of lessons ($795.00) through their student account.

Lessons must be completed before the last day of classes or the last day of scheduled lessons, whichever is later.

Under no circumstance may a student receive more than two lessons in any one week.

Group lessons are not offered by the Private Lessons Program.

Private lessons taken outside of Wesleyan will not count for University credit.

II. COURSE CREDIT

Students receiving financial assistance (including Music Majors) must take lessons for credit.

A minimum of 10 lessons must be completed for a student to receive course credit.

Grading mode is CR/U for MUSC 405 and for MUSC 406.

Course Levels:

MUSC 405 - Private Music Lessons for Non-Music Majors

Students registered for MUSC 405 may receive credit for 4 semesters of private lessons, whether it be in the same instrument/voice or a variety of instruments/voice.

Private Lessons taken more than 4 times will count towards oversubscription and not count towards the 32 credits required for graduation.

Returning students who have previously taken Private Lessons register for this course during the Drop/Add period with an enrollment request

Returning students must contact the instructor prior to the first week of lessons (during the Interview Scheduling Period) to schedule a time for lessons. A Private Lessons time slot with that instructor is not guaranteed if you do not contact the instructor during the Interview Scheduling Period.

All students new to the Private Lessons Program must interview with the instructor during the Interview Scheduling Period and register during the Drop/Add period.

When a student is accepted they become liable for the additional cost of lessons ($795), which is billed through the Student Accounts Office.

Private lessons taken as a non-major (MUSC 405)cannot count as performancecredits towards the Music Major.

MUSC 406 - Private Music Lessons for Declared Music Majors ONLY

Returning students who have previously taken Private Lessons register for this course during the Drop/Add period with an enrollment request.

Returning students must contact the instructor prior to the first week of lessons (during the Interview Scheduling Period) to schedule a time for lessons. A Private Lessons time slot with that instructor is not guaranteed if you do not contact the instructor during the Interview Scheduling Period.

All students new to the Private Lessons Program must interview with the instructor during the interview Scheduling Period and register during the Drop/Add period.

Juries are held at the end of the spring semester to determine the instrumental development of the Music Major taking lessons.

Music Majors may count 2 semesters of MUSC 406 as performance credits towards the major.

Music Majors who have taken Private Lessons prior to declaring the major (MUSC 405) cannot count these as performance credits towards the Music Major.

III. SCHEDULE

Students are responsible for checking schedules for lesson times provided by email or by direct contact with their instructor, whichever method is preferred by the instructor.

Initial lessons missed because of not knowing the lesson schedule are considered as an absence. Teachers are not required to make up these lessons.

IV. ABSENCES AND RESCHEDULED LESSONS

All teacher absences will be made up by the teacher. The student will be refunded fees for teacher absences that are not made up.

Teachers are not required to make up any lessons missed by students during the semester. Student absences due to illness, religious holiday observation or family emergency may be made up at the discretion of the individual teacher.

If a student accumulates an excessive number of absences which cannot be made up by the end of the semester, the following options exist:

The student may withdraw from the course, forfeiting the remaining lessons fees, if he/she withdraws after the third official lesson.

The student may apply for an incomplete which must be agreed upon by the Teacher and the Coordinator. All absences must then be made up before the first day of classes of the next semester.

If a student doesn't withdraw from the course, he/she will fail the course ( if at least 10 lessons are not completed).

Students will pay for any student absence incurred. This includes financial support students and Music Majors with waivers.

Students may trade a lesson time with other students.

V. NOTIFICATION

Do not call the Music Department Office to cancel a lesson. Please notify the teacher as directed by e-mail or phone, whichever is the preferred method of the teacher.

If a teacher cancels a lesson and is unable to contact students, a message will be left on the door of the teaching studio where the lesson was to take place.

VI. WITHDRAWAL

Students wishing to withdraw from the Private Lessons Program should contact both their teacher and the Coordinator of the Private Lessons Program immediately.

The student should present a drop/add form to the teacher for their signature, or to the Coordinator in their absence, before they bring the form to the Registrar's Office.

If a student intends to drop lessons, the student must notify the instructor at least 24 hours prior to the lesson taking place the week following the end of drop add. Failure to drop prior to this lesson will result in the student being billed the full course fee. When a student drops lessons during the Drop/Add period, the student will be billed only for the lessons taken.

Students receiving financial assistance for private lessons forfeit that assistance if they withdraw from study. Such students will be billed for the lessons they have taken and, if they withdraw after the third lesson, for the lessons remaining in the semester.

Student will be billed for any lessons taken, even during the drop/add period.

VII. BILLING AND FINANCIAL CREDIT

Students will be billed for lessons through the Student Accounts Office.

Students receiving University Financial Aid may be eligible for financial support from the Music Department for private lessons.

Application must be made each semester during the Private Lessons Interview Scheduling period. Check application for deadlines.

Eligibility requirements and forms can be found in the Music Studios lobby and in the Forms section of this website.

Music Majors will receive a partial waiver for lessons on one instrument or voice. Music Major approval must have been made by the end of the previous semester. The partial waiver applies to Junior and Senior Majors only, whose lessons are registered for credit

Music Majors eligible for University Financial Aid may apply for supplemental aid for lessons in addition to receiving a partial waiver.

See item VI - C and D above for policy concerning payment upon withdrawal from lessons

Non-credit students are bound by financial policies.

VIII. FACILITIES

Practice Areas

The practice rooms are in the basement of the Music Studios building. They are open from 9:00 am-12:00 am on weekdays, and 10:00 am-12:00 am on weekends.

Practice rooms are open on a first-come, first-served basis. On occasion, certain practice rooms are reserved for private lesson teaching space and are not available for student use at these times.

Practice rooms are for Wesleyan student use.

Assigned Instruments and Rooms For instrumentalists who share University instruments in secured spaces (bass, drums, harp, etc.), the teacher must authorize access to the room and a contract must be signed by the student before access is allowed.

To appeal any part of the policy above, a written statement must be presented to both the Coordinator and the Director of the Private Lessons Program.